The Department of Health and Human Services is authorized and empowered to continue and maintain, in its discretion, any existing retirement system providing retirement benefits for blind vending-stand operators and to expend funds to provide necessary contributions to any existing retirement system for blind vending-stand operators to the extent that the Department determines such retirement system to be in the best interest of the blind vending-stand operators. (1969, c. 1255, s. 4; 1973, c. 476, s. 143; 1997-443, s. 11A.118(a).)